Although brick-and-mortar classrooms are off-limits, the scholastic structure continues with students and teachers meeting virtually. Learning, discussion, and homework assignments are still part of life, but perspectives have changed as young people adapt to the current reality, and that shift is showing up as a theme in their work. For example, Santa Barbara High School English teacher Aura Greig gave her Dual Enrollment SBCC English 111 class a sonnet writing assignment, which resulted in thoughtful, expressive, rhythmic poems whose topics were informed by the pandemic and the constraints it has wrought. For many, it was the first poem they’d ever written. Printed below are four that stood out.
Reevaluate
At dawn, I awake and feel empowered
Life changes direction from up to down
But I must fight and not be a coward
I continue to fight and avoid frowns